Flexible strip brush, flexible belt brush, and method for manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A flexible strip brush element is constructed from multiple monofilaments arranged in a parallel fashion and attached at one end to a flexible base. The monofilaments are attached to the base by intermingling material from the base with material from the monofilaments. The free ends of the monofilaments collectively form a bristle end zone. A plurality of flexible strip brush elements may be bonded side-by-side so the free ends of the monofilaments form a common bristle end zone. to The bonded flexible strip brush elements may take the form of a linear section or may be fashioned into an endless loop or jointless spiral.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/795,248, titled “FLEXIBLE STRIP BRUSH, FLEXIBLEBELT BRUSH, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME,” filed on Jun. 7,2010, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/187,813, titled “FLEXIBLE STRIP BRUSH,FLEXIBLE BELT BRUSH, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR,” filed on Jun.17, 2009, each of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present application is generally related to brushes, and moreparticularly is related to a flexible strip brushes and flexible beltbrushes.

2.Discussion of Related Art

FIGS. 1 through 3 show a stapleset brush 900 in accordance with theprior art. As can be seen in the perspective view of the stapleset brush900 in FIG. 1, brush bristles 905, represented in FIGS. 1 through 3 as abundle of individual bristles, extend from drilled or molded holes 901in a solid block of material such as rubber, leather, metal, or woodserving as base 902. As can be seen from the side sectional view of FIG.2, the side shown at FIG. 2 being the same side as faces the reader inFIG. 1, brush bristles 905 contain tufts or bundles of strands that arefolded over, the folded portion being held against the surface at thebottom of the hole 901 by a wire staple 907 or other rigid fastener.This is shown in the end sectional view of FIG. 3, the end shown at FIG.3 being, for example, the end at the right in FIG. 1. At FIG. 3, it ispossible to see the profile of the staple 907, this being such that theends of the staple 907 are embedded and held firmly within the bulkmaterial of the base 902.

Several difficulties arise when one attempts to employ the staplesetstructure 900 of the prior art shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 as a beltbrush or in another such application where flexibility is required.

For example, a belt brush employed in a conveyor or cleaning applicationmight be made to undergo flexible deformation as it is driven within thetransport mechanism of which it forms a part. For example, a belt-drivenconveyor brush or cleaning brush in such an application might be drivenby one or more pulleys or made to wrap around one or more idlers orwheels that cause the brush to bend around the radius of curvature ofthe pulley(s), idler(s), or wheel(s). However, where the base 902 isfashioned from a rigid material such as metal or wood, the staplesetbrush 900 will, needless to say, be inflexible and thus unsuitable foruse as a belt brush in such an application.

Furthermore, even where the base 902 is fashioned from a less rigidmaterial such as rubber, the fact that the staple 907 is typicallystiffer than the material of the base 902, which is to say that thestaple 907 and the base 902 in such case would have dissimilar moduli ofelasticity, may cause localized stresses to occur in the vicinity of thestaple 907, such stresses being made all the more severe to the extentthat the staple 907, which is typically fashioned from a cut piece ofwire, has sharp ends, corners, or edges. Such stresses may causeincreased wear, shortened life, and failure of the stapleset brush 900.Of course, any stresses arising due to presence of the staple 907 willonly be aggravated and made more intense by flexible deformation of thesort that such a belt brush will typically be made to undergo, furthercontributing to increased wear, shortened life, and failure of thestapleset brush 900.

Moreover, to properly embed the staple 907 within the base 902, the base902 must have a certain minimum height, the height direction here beingthe direction in which the bristles 905 extend from the base 902 inFIGS. 1 through 3. However, thickness of the base 902 in this heightdirection contributes to the second moment of inertia about an axisperpendicular to a plane formed by the face of the base 902 indicatedin, for example, FIG. 2. Specifically, the thickness of the base 902 inthe height direction causes the base 902 to resist bending such as wouldcause the ends of the base 902 to flex so as to conform to a radius ofcurvature centered on an axis emerging from the plane of the base 902 ata point above or below the stapleset brush 900 as viewed in FIGS. 1 and2. Forcing the base 902 of the stapleset brush 900 to conform to such aradius of curvature despite this stiffness or resistance to bending dueto the large second moment of inertia, as might be done were thestapleset brush 900 to be employed as a belt brush driven by pulleys ina transport mechanism, for example, would create high stresses in thebase 902, both in the vicinity of the staple 907 as well as in thevicinities of the top and bottom of the base 902. Such stresses may alsocause increased wear, shortened life, and failure of the stapleset brush900.

In addition, in a structure in which the bristles 905 contain tufts thatare folded over and attached by stapling to the base 902, there will ofnecessity be gaps between adjacent tufts due to presence of the wallcontaining base material 902 serving as partition between adjacent holes901. In the structure shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, bristle density willbe discontinuous along the length direction (i.e., the directionextending from left to right in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2), bristle density beinghigh where bunched bristles 905 emerge from a hole 901, and being lowbetween holes 901 where no bristles 905 emerge. This effect may to someto extent be mitigated by employing a design in which bristles 905 fanout from their proximal regions, where they emerge from the holes 901,to their distal regions, where the bristles 905 collectively form abristle end zone. Depending on the application in question, this bristleend zone might serve as conveyor drive face for transport of smallobjects including, but not limited to, nuts, bolts, pills, and/or othersuch objects to be conveyed, might serve as cleaning brush for cleaningparts or surfaces, or might serve as sealing surface for sealing ashuttle canister within a pneumatic tube transport system for use at abank drive-up window, for example. Nonuniformity in bristle densitywithin the bristle end zone may cause poor conveyor drivecharacteristics in an application in which the bristle end zone servesas conveyor drive face, poor cleaning performance in an application inwhich the bristle end zone serves to sweep or scour a floor or othersurface, poor sealing in an application in which the bristle end zoneserves as sealing surface, and other performance problems. In addition,the gaps that exist between adjacent tufts impose a limit on the maximumbristle density that may be achieved, and this limit on maximumachievable bristle density may also adversely impact achievable bristleend zone characteristics.

In such a design according to the prior art, there are practical limitsto the width (i.e., the direction extending from left to right in FIG.3) of the bristle end zone formed by the bristles 905 that may beachieved. For example, beyond a certain width, it may be difficult forthe staple 907 to retain the bristles 905 at all points along the bottomof the hole 901. Furthermore, as can be seen in FIG. 3, proper embeddingof the staple 907 within the base 902, such as will prevent the cut endsof the staple 907 from protruding from the sides of the base 902,necessitates that there be a certain minimum wall thickness to eitherside of the hole 901 in the width direction (i.e., the directionextending from left to right in FIG. 3). This being the case, even ifone were to, for example, laminate multiple flexible strip brushelements together in side-by-side fashion in an attempt to extend theeffective width of the brush, a stapleset brush 900 having design asshown in FIG. 3 would be limited with respect to the density of bristles905 that is achievable in the width dimension due to presence of thisminimum wall thickness to either side of the hole 901 in the widthdirection, in similar fashion as the limitation presented by thethickness of the wall serving as partition between adjacent holes 901 inthe length direction which was described above.

The physical properties of the material employed as bristles 905 will ingeneral impose constraints on overall tuft height, width, and length.For example, if the bristles 905 contain polypropylene or other suchthermoplastic substance or other material having similar modulus ofelasticity, mechanical properties of the material employed for thebristles 905 will limit the dimensions of the bristles 905 to certainpractical ranges from the standpoints of manufacturing and performance.

For example, to achieve a brush 900 having bristles 905 with therequisite physical characteristics for the application in question, andin particular to achieve a brush 900 having such desired physicalcharacteristics at the ends of the bristles 905 forming the bristle endzone, it will in general be necessary to impose limits on the rangesthat may be employed for bristle length and diameter, and such rangeswill be further limited upon considering the requisite average bristledensity (e.g., number of bristles per square inch) and allowablenonuniformity in that bristle density.

For these and other reasons, a stapleset brush 900 manufactured inaccordance with the prior art as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 will oftenbe inadequate except when employed in a comparatively narrow assortmentof limited configurations. For example, as explained above, thestapleset brush 900 of the prior art may be inadequate where width isdesired at the bristle end zone formed by the ends of the bristles 905,where high bristle density is desired at the bristle end zone formed bythe ends of the bristles 905, where good uniformity in bristle densityis desired at the bristle end zone formed by the ends of the bristles905, or where it is desired that the stapleset brush 900 exhibit goodflexibility with respect to flexure about an axis perpendicular to theplane of the bristles 905, such as would be the case were the staplesetbrush 900 to be fashioned in an endless loop for driving by pulleys andidlers.

Although the difficulties mentioned above by way of example aredescribed as applying to the stapleset structure 900 of the prior artshown in FIGS. 1 through 3, one or more of the foregoing difficultiesmay apply to structures from the prior art other than those shown inFIGS. 1 through 3. Furthermore, while various aspects and embodiments ofthe present invention may overcome one or more of the difficultiesdescribed above, not every difficulty mentioned above is necessarilyovercome by all aspects and embodiments of the present invention, and infact there may be aspects and embodiments of the present invention thatovercome difficulties in the prior art other than those mentioned by wayof example above.

Whether such difficulties exist in the prior art shown in FIGS. 1through 3 or in other structures from the prior art that are not shown,a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address suchdeficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present invention provide, among others, aflexible strip brush element, a flexible strip brush made from at leastone flexible strip brush element, a flexible belt brush element, and aflexible belt brush made from at least one flexible belt brush element.

Briefly described, one embodiment, is a flexible strip brush element,having a base with a top and a bottom and a multiplicity ofmonofilaments. Each of the monofilaments has a proximal end and a distalend. The flexible strip brush element has a bristle attachment regionwherein the monofilaments are arranged in substantially parallelfashion. The proximal ends of the monofilaments are attached to the topof the base by way of the bristle attachment region, and the distal endsof the monofilaments are free and collectively form a bristle end zone.Within the bristle attachment region there is intermingling of amaterial from the base and a material from the monofilaments. Thematerial from the base fills interstices between the monofilaments.

A flexible strip brush element may have a flexural modulus that is lessthan 80 ksi as determined by ASTM D790-10. The base may have a flexuralmodulus that is between 13 and 65 ksi as determined by ASTM D790-10,with a base width between 2.5 mm and 6 mm, and monofilaments that arebetween 0.003 inch and 0.024 inch in diameter, and between 0.20 inch and6.00 inches in length. Alternatively, a flexible strip brush element mayhave a the base having a flexural modulus that is between 13 and 20 ksias determined by ASTM D790-10, with a base between 3.2 mm and 4 5 mm inwidth and having monofilaments between 0.006 inch and 0.016 inch indiameter, and between 1.50 inch and 3.00 inches in length.

A flexible strip brush element may be implemented where themonofilaments are made of thermoplastic resin and the base is made ofthermoplastic resin or thermosetting resin. Or, the monofilaments may bemade from nylon, polypropylene, or blended mixtures of nylon andpolypropylene. The base may be made from nylon, polypropylene, acopolymer of nylon and a thermoplastic elastomer, and blended mixturesof any of the foregoing species. The base of the flexible strip brushelement may have a U-shaped cross-sectional profile such that theproximal ends of the monofilaments are attached by way of the bristleattachment to region on the concave side of the base. Alternatively, thebase may have an H-shaped cross-sectional profile with a first concaveside at the top where the proximal ends of the monofilaments areattached by way of the bristle attachment region, and a second concaveside at the bottom of the base. Or, the base may have an invertedU-shaped cross-sectional profile defining a concave side at the bottomof the base.

Another embodiment is a flexible strip brush formed from two or moreflexible strip brush elements that are mutually bonded in side-by-sidefashion so that the free distal ends of the monofilaments cooperate toform a common bristle end zone. The mutual bonding in side-by-sidefashion may be at least partially accomplished by a side bonding region.The side bonding region may utilize coextrusion, lamination, glue, heat,or solvent. The mutual bonding in side-by-side fashion may be at leastpartially accomplished by a bottom bonding region. The bottom bondingregion may utilizes thermal bonding, adhesive, chemical bonding,coextrusion, or lamination. The bottom bonding region may be a laminatedcarrier strip made of flexible thermoplastic resin, made from, forinstance, nylon and/or polypropylene.

A flexible belt brush element is a flexible strip brush element, asdescribed above, where the two ends of the base are joined by means of ajoint to form an endless loop. The base has a width, the endless loophas a circumference, and the joint may be a scarf joint in which alength of the joint in the direction of the circumference of the endlessloop is approximately equal to the width of the base. The length of thejoint in the direction of the circumference of the endless loop may beapproximately equal to the circumference of the endless loop. The jointmay be reinforced by cloth, tape, plastic sheeting, or a high-strengthfiber-like material. The joint may be formed by thermal bonding,adhesive, or solvent welding.

A flexible belt brush is formed from two or more belt brush elementsthat are mutually bonded in side-by-side fashion so that the free distalends of the monofilaments cooperate to form a common bristle end zone.The mutual side-by-side bonding may be partially accomplished by a sidebonding region or a bottom bonding region. The bottoms of the bases maycooperate to form a common belt drive surface. The base may be formedfrom a flexible brush element wound in helical fashion, adjacent coilsof the helically wound base being bonded in side-by-side fashion to forma jointless spiral.

A method for manufacturing a flexible strip brush element includesmultiple steps. One step is arranging a multiplicity of thermoplasticmonofilaments respectively having first ends and second ends insubstantially parallel fashion and at a prescribed density. Another stepis applying heat to the first ends of the monofilaments so as to meltthe first ends of the monofilaments. Other steps include transportingthe monofilaments in a first direction toward an extrusion die,extruding molten thermoplastic resin in a second direction from anextrusion die outlet, where the outlet is shaped to produce a basehaving a top and a bottom, bringing the first ends of the monofilamentsinto physical contact with the top of the base as the base emerges fromthe extrusion die outlet, and cooling the monofilaments and the base sothat the first ends of the monofilaments are fused to the top of thebase and the second ends of the monofilaments are free. Thethermoplastic resin used for the extruded base has a flexural modulusless than 80 ksi as determined by ASTM D790-10 when solid. The seconddirection is approximately perpendicular to the first direction. Betweenthe emergence of the base from the extrusion die outlet and the coolingof the monofilaments and the base, movement of the base is made toundergo a change of direction from the first direction to the seconddirection.

An alternative to the cooling step described above is curing the base sothat the first ends of the monofilaments are fused to the top of thebase and the second ends of the monofilaments are free. Thethermosetting resin used for the extruded base may have a flexuralmodulus less than 80 ksi as determined by ASTM D790-10 when cured.

A method for manufacturing a flexible strip brush from a plurality offlexible strip brush elements includes the steps of arranging inside-by-side fashion a plurality of adjacent flexible strip brushelements, and mutually bonding the adjacent strip brush elements inside-by-side fashion so that the free distal ends of the monofilamentscooperate to form a common bristle end zone. A step may be forming aside bonding region or a bottom bonding region as described above. Themethod may include pressing a heated nonstick tool against the bottomsof the bases while dragging the tool therealong so as to cause meltingof the bases to a depth sufficient to cause the flexible strip brushelements to become mutually joined when the melted bases are allowed tocool and resolidify.

In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, there isprovided flexible belt brush. The flexible belt brush comprises aflexible strip brush element including a base having a width and abristle attachment region, the flexible strip brush element terminatingat an end tapered at an angle relative to the width of the flexiblestrip brush element, the flexible to strip brush element being woundinto a plurality of adjacent bonded coils and a plurality ofmonofilaments secured to the bristle attachment region.

In accordance with some embodiments, each of the plurality of adjacentbonded coils includes a sidewall bonded to a sidewall of another of theplurality of adjacent bonded coils.

In accordance with some embodiments, each of the plurality ofmonofilaments includes a proximal end secured to the bristle attachmentregion and a distal end included in a bristle end zone.

In accordance with some embodiments, the flexible belt brush has acircumference, a first side, and a second side separated from the firstside by a width of the flexible belt brush and substantially parallel tothe first side about the circumference of the flexible belt brush. Inaccordance with some embodiments, each of the plurality of adjacentbonded coils includes a bottom region bonded to a bottom region ofanother of the plurality of adjacent bonded coils.

In accordance with some embodiments, the bottom region comprises alaminated carrier strip.

In accordance with some embodiments, the end is tapered over a lengthapproximately equal to the width of the base.

In accordance with some embodiments, the flexible strip brush elementterminates at a first end tapered at an angle relative to the width ofthe flexible strip brush element and at a second end tapered at an anglerelative to the width of the flexible strip brush element.

In accordance with some embodiments one or both of the first and secondends may be tapered over a length equal to or approximately equal to thewidth of the base.

In accordance with some embodiments one or both of the first and secondends may be tapered over a length equal to or approximately equal to thelength of the base.

In accordance with some embodiments one or both of the first and secondends may be tapered over a length equal to or approximately equal to thecircumference of the flexible belt brush.

In accordance with some embodiments one or both of the first and secondends may be tapered over a length of between the width of the base andthe length of the base.

In accordance with some embodiments one or both of the first and secondends may be tapered over a length of between the width of the base andthe circumference of the to flexible belt brush.

In accordance with some embodiments, the flexible belt brush furthercomprises a plurality of flexible strip brush elements, each including abase having a bristle attachment region defined in a top of the base, aplurality of monofilaments, each having a proximal end and a distal end,the proximal ends of each of the plurality of monofilaments beingsecured to the bristle attachment region, and the distal ends of each ofthe plurality of monofilaments collectively forming a bristle end zone.The plurality of flexible strip brush elements may be bonded and form acollective strip brush element terminating at an end tapered at an anglerelative to a width of the collective strip brush element.

In accordance with some embodiments, the flexible belt brush has acircumference, and the end of the collective strip brush element istapered over a length approximately equal to the circumference of theflexible belt brush.

In accordance with some embodiments, the plurality of monofilaments forma bristle end zone configured as a pneumatic seal.

In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, there isprovided a method for manufacturing a flexible strip brush. The methodcomprises providing a flexible strip brush element including a basehaving a width, a bristle attachment region, and an end tapered at anangle relative to the width of the base and a plurality of monofilamentssecured to the bristle attachment region, and wrapping the flexiblestrip brush element around a mandrel, forming a plurality of adjacentcoils.

In accordance with some embodiments, the method further comprisesbonding adjacent pairs of the plurality of adjacent coils.

In accordance with some embodiments, the flexible strip brush includes acircumference, a first side, and a second side separated from the firstside by a width of the flexible strip brush, and the method furthercomprises forming the first side substantially parallel to the secondside about the circumference of the flexible belt brush.

In accordance with some embodiments, bonding the adjacent pairs of theplurality of adjacent coils comprises bonding a side of each of theadjacent pairs of the plurality of adjacent coils to a side of anotherof the plurality of adjacent coils.

In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, there isprovided system comprising a transport mechanism including a wheel and aflexible belt brush disposed on the to wheel. The flexible belt brushincludes a flexible strip brush element including a base having a widthand a bristle attachment region, the flexible strip brush elementterminating at an end tapered at an angle relative to the width of theflexible strip brush element, the flexible strip brush element beingwound into a plurality of adjacent bonded coils, and a plurality ofmonofilaments secured to the bristle attachment region.

In accordance with some embodiments, the flexible belt brush forms ajointless spiral.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system comprises a conveyor.

In accordance with some embodiments, the plurality of monofilaments forma bristle end zone configured as a drive face for the transport ofobjects.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system comprises a cleaningapparatus.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system comprises a plotplanting apparatus.

Other embodiments, systems, methods, and features, and advantages ofaspects and embodiments of the present invention will be or becomeapparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the followingdrawings and detailed description. It is intended that all suchadditional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the present invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference tothe following drawings. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stapleset brush manufactured inaccordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the stapleset brush shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end sectional view of the stapleset brush shown in FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a method for manufacturing a flexible stripbrush element in a first embodiment in accordance with a first aspect ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is an end sectional view of a flexible strip brush element suchas might be manufactured using the manufacturing method described withreference to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a flexible belt brush which, inaccordance with a second aspect of the present invention, contains threeflexible strip brush elements similar to the flexible strip brushelement shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of a flexible belt brush thathas been fashioned in the form of an endless loop through use of a scarfjoint to mate the ends of a linear section of a flexible belt brushsimilar to that shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 11;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a portion of a flexible belt brush that hasbeen fashioned in the form of a jointless spiral by wrapping a singlelong flexible strip brush element such as that shown in FIG. 5 around acylindrical mandrel in helical fashion;

FIG. 9A is a bottom view of another embodiment of the flexible beltbrush of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9B is a bottom view of another embodiment of the flexible beltbrush of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a flexible strip brush element in asecond embodiment in accordance with the first aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11A is an end sectional view of the flexible strip brush element ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 11B is an end sectional view of an embodiment of the flexible stripbrush element of FIG. 10 with ribs on the bottom side;

FIG. 12 is an end sectional view of a flexible belt brush manufacturedfrom three flexible strip brush elements similar to the flexible stripbrush element shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A;

FIG. 13 is a drawing showing a method for manufacturing a flexible beltbrush similar to that shown in FIG. 12 from two flexible strip brushelements similar to the flexible strip brush element shown in FIGS. 10and 11A;

FIG. 14 is a drawing showing a flexible belt brush manufactured inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the flexiblebelt brush being shown in a configuration intended to emphasize thesuperior flexibility thereof with respect to flexure about an axisperpendicular to the plane of the bristles;

FIG. 15 is another drawing showing a flexible belt brush manufactured inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the flexiblebelt brush being shown in a configuration intended to emphasize thesuperior flexibility thereof with respect to flexure as well as torsion;and

FIG. 16 is yet another drawing showing a flexible belt brushmanufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,the flexible belt brush being shown in a configuration intended toemphasize the superior flexibility thereof with respect to flexure aswell as torsion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One aspect of the present invention is a flexible strip brush elementand a manufacturing method therefor. FIG. 4 illustrates a method formanufacturing a flexible strip brush element 150 according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

As shown by FIG. 4, a stock of bristle monofilaments 155 of suitablediameter, e.g., 0.006 inch, preferably 0.003 inch to 0.024 inch, mostpreferably 0.006 inch to 0.016 inch, separately manufactured from nylon,polypropylene, or other suitable thermoplastic resin by extrusion usinga multistrand die, for example, are cut to desired length, preferably0.20 inch to 6.00 inch, most preferably 1.50 inch to 3.00 inch, and arearranged with desired density at a location a suitable distance from theoutlet of an extrusion die. As the monofilament stock 155 is transportedtoward the extrusion die outlet, heat 105 is applied to one end of themonofilaments 155 so as to melt the bristle ends.

The molten bristle ends are transported toward a location where moltenthermoplastic resin of a composition compatible with the composition ofthe monofilaments 155 (e.g., nylon, polypropylene, or other suitablethermoplastic resin, including any of various copolymers and/or blendedmixtures thereof) emerges from the extrusion die. The extrusion die isshaped so as to produce a brush base 152 of suitable dimensions. Forexample, based upon considerations related to ease of handling ofindividual strip brush elements for creation of a flexible belt, theextruded brush base 152 in one embodiment might be 2.5 mm to 6 mm inwidth, and more preferably might be 3.2 mm to 4.5 mm in width. As themolten bristle ends are brought into physical contact with the moltenbase material as it emerges from the extrusion die, the bristle endsfuse with the base 152 as the molten portion of the monofilaments 155and the base 152 are made to blend together and molten base material ismade to flow around and fill interstices between monofilaments 155. Notethat if increased bonding strength and increased bonding surface areaare desired, this may be achieved by carrying out more aggressiveapplication of heat 105 so as to cause more extensive melting of thebristle ends, as well as bonding of bristle monofilaments 155 with eachother, prior to fusion of the melted bristle ends with the extruded base152.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, at or about the time that themonofilaments 155 and base 152 are fused together in the vicinity of theextrusion die outlet, whereas the monofilaments 155 continue to travelin essentially the same direction in which they had been traveling, thebase 152 is made to undergo a 90-degree change of direction so as tofacilitate combination of the monofilaments 155 with the base 152,following which the combined monofilaments 155 and base 152 are thentransported to a water bath or other such cooling station 110 at whichthe molten, fused material of the monofilaments 155 and the base 152 maybe solidified together.

Note that as used herein, the terms “melting” and “molten” refer tocreation of a liquid or soft state. That is, even where a liquid stateis not necessarily achieved, so long as the material in question is softenough to permit, blending, intermingling, and/or fusion as describedabove, such a state is included within the range of what is referred toherein as “melting” and “molten.”

Although the foregoing has been described in terms of an example inwhich thermoplastic resin was used as material for the brush base 152,there is no particular objection to employment of thermosetting resin asbase material or other material that may be compatible with themonofilaments so as to secure the base and the monofilaments together.In the event that thermosetting resin is employed as base material, oneof skill in that art will readily understand how to adapt the foregoingdescription to a manufacturing method in which bristle monofilaments155, which may optionally be heated and made to melt at one end, arefused with liquid (at least partially uncured) thermosetting resin as itemerges from an extrusion die, with a curing station being employedinstead of cooling station 110.

Referring to FIG. 5, this shows a flexible strip brush element 150 in afirst embodiment such as might be manufactured using the manufacturingmethod described with reference to FIG. 4. A flexible belt brush of thisdesign would have a flexural modulus less than 80 ksi, preferablybetween 13 and 65 ksi, and more preferably between 13 and 20 ksi, asdetermined, for example, by ASTM D790-10. Such flexural moduli may beachieved by selection of suitable material for use as the base 152. Forexample, a copolymer of nylon and a suitable thermoplastic elastomer(hereinafter “TPE”) may be advantageously employed to achieve a base 152having flexural modulus within such ranges. This flexibility of the basematerial permits manufacture of a brush having the ability to beconstructed into a belt, to especially when a plurality of strip brushelements are assembled in side-by-side fashion to form the belt.

As used herein, except where otherwise clear from context, the term“belt” (and/or “belt brush”) is used to mean a continuous band for usein transferring motion or power, for use in cleaning, for use inconveying objects or materials, or for use as a seal, for example. Assuch, depending on the application in question, belts manufactured inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention are able to take onmany shapes and configurations as required by the specific application.Examples of belt configurations that may be manufactured in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention include oval,serpentine, reverse-directional, and figure-eight. Moreover, beltsmanufactured in accordance with embodiments of the present invention mayhave multiple radii along the length of the belt brush, and/or may havethe ability to conform to very small radii of curvature, e.g., on theorder of 0.25 inch or less, and still be able to maintain flexibility.Various exemplary belt brush configurations emphasizing this flexibilityand versatility of belt brushes manufactured in accordance withembodiments of the present invention are shown at FIGS. 14 through 16.

Note that where adjacent strips, or adjacent coils, are said to bebonded in side-by-side fashion, this is not to imply that a side bondingregion (described below) need be used to accomplish this. That is,side-by-side bonding may in general be carried out through use of sidebonding region(s) and/or bottom bonding region(s), both of which aredescribed in more detail below.

From the sectional end view shown in FIG. 5 it should be understood thatthe flexible strip brush element 150 may take the form of a linearsection or may be fashioned into an endless loop or jointless spiral. Iffashioned in the form of a linear section, this might be applied aboutthe circumference of a shuttle canister that opens in clamshell fashion,leaving a gap to permit the canister to open, if used to slidably sealgaps between canister and tube in a pneumatic tube transport system, ormight be made to engage in reciprocating motion by the mechanicalcomponents of a suitable transport mechanism if used as a conveyor brushor cleaning brush, for example. If fashioned in the form of an endlessloop or jointless spiral, this might be fitted over the end of anend-opening shuttle canister if used to slidably seal gaps betweencanister and tube in a pneumatic tube transport system, or might beemployed as a belt brush capable of being driven about pulleys andidlers.

To fashion the flexible strip brush element 150 into an endless loop, alinear section of the flexible strip brush element 150 of appropriatelength would be prepared, and the two ends of this linear section wouldbe mated and bonded together using heat, glue, or solvent, for example,to form a joint (see FIG. 7). Any suitable type of joint, including lapjoints, scarf joints, and butt joints, may be used when the ends of thelinear section are joined to form an endless loop. Such joints may beunreinforced or may be reinforced by sewing, stapling, crimping, orotherwise binding across the seam of the joint using, for example, asuitable high-strength fiber-like material, cloth, tape, or plasticsheet stock. Although there is no particular objection to use of metalwire, staples or other such hard fasteners or materials to reinforce thejoint, especially for applications in which the belt brush must goaround corners or conform to tight radii of curvature, e.g., when usedas belt brush driven by pulleys or made to wrap around idlers, softermaterials such as cloth, tape, or plastic sheet stock are generallypreferred.

At this time, although there is no particular objection to use of a buttjoint in which the seam of the joint makes an angle of 90 degrees withthe sides of the belt, it may facilitate formation of a smooth joint insome embodiments if the ends of the linear section are cut at, forexample, a 45 degree angle before they are mated and bonded together soas to form a scarf joint in which the length of the joint in thecircumferential direction is approximately equal to the width of thebelt Similarly, the ends may be cut at a shallower angle beforeformation of the scarf joint so as to increase the length of the jointin the circumferential direction up to as much as the full circumferenceof the endless loop belt.

Moreover, instead of joining the ends of a linear section of theflexible strip brush element 150 to form an endless loop, it is alsopossible to form the linear section into a jointless spiral by wrappingsuch a linear section around a cylindrical mandrel in helical fashion,and bonding adjacent coils of the spiral together in side-by-sidefashion, (see, e.g., FIG. 8).

In some embodiments, such as that illustrated in FIG. 8, when the linearsection is formed and welded into a spiral-shaped belt configuration, acondition is created whereby the ends of the linear section are squareto the long length of the brush. In some uses of a belt brush formed inthis manner, it may be undesirable for the linear section to have squareends. The square ends may, for example, impede smooth transition of thebelt brush when passing over, for example, wheels, sheaves, pulleys, oridlers. Because of this condition, the brush assembly may get caught ona sheave, pulley, or idler and either break, malfunction, or todisassemble enough to become inoperable. As used herein, the term“wheels” should be understood to encompass sheaves, pulleys, idlers, orother such elements of a transport mechanism.

To facilitate a smooth transition of a belt brush formed from ajointless spiral as illustrated in FIG. 8 over, for example, wheels of atransport emchanism, the ends of the spiral assembly may be formed, forexample, sanded or cut into a tapered shape. Embodiments of belt brushesformed from a jointless spiral and having ends of the spiral assemblyformed into tapered shapes are illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B. In FIGS.9A and 9B portions of a flexible strip brush element which formsinternal portions of the belt brush are indicated at 160. Portions ofthe flexible strip brush element which forms edge portions of the beltbrush are indicated at 165. The edge portions 165 of the flexible stripbrush element may have end regions 170 which are shaped, for example, bysanding, cutting, or other methods to reduce or eliminate abrupttermination of the flexible strip brush element which could result insquared ends. One or both ends of the flexible strip brush element mayinclude shaped regions with sides or edges tapered at an angle relativeto a circumferential (lengthwise) and widthwise extent of the flexiblestrip brush element. One or both ends of the flexible strip brushelement may be tapered such that the width of the base decreaseslinearly along the end region or regions 170. In other embodiments, oneor both ends of the base may be rounded or include a non-linear taper.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 9A and 9B, the flexible strip brush elementis oriented generally perpendicular to a tension force vector that maybe realized in use. In end regions 170, the flexible strip brush elementside-steps to a new juxtaposed position relative to its own previouswrap.

Adjacent coils of the spirally formed belt brush may be bonded togetherlaterally, or at a backing. As used herein the term “bonded laterally”means bonded at sides of the strip brush element other than a topsurface or base of the strip brush element. The top surface may includea bristle attachment region to which a plurality of monofilaments may besecured. The base may be parallel, or substantially parallel, forexample, at an angle of less than 45 degrees from a plane defined by thetop surface. The sides of the strip brush element which may be bondedtogether laterally may be sidewalls of the strip brush element. Thesidewalls may be formed approximately perpendicular to the top surfaceand/or base of the strip brush element, for example, at an angle between90 degrees and 45 degrees from a plane defined by to the top surfaceand/or base of the strip brush element. A width of the strip brushelement may be defined by a line perpendicular to a sidewall of thestrip brush element in a plane parallel to the top surface and/or baseof the strip brush element.

The adjacent coils may be bonded by, for example, thermal bonding, glue,chemical bonding, or any other suitable method. Such bonds may beunreinforced or may be reinforced by sewing, stapling, crimping, orotherwise binding across the seam between adjacent coils using, forexample, a suitable high-strength fiberous material, for example,fiberglass, carbon fibers, cellulosic fibers, metallic fibers, or othertypes of fibers. The bonds may also or alternatively be reinforced withone or more of cloth, tape, or plastic sheet stock. Although there is noparticular objection to use of metal wire, staples or other such hardfasteners or materials to reinforce the bonds, especially forapplications in which the belt brush must go around corners or conformto tight radii of curvature, e.g., when used as belt brush driven bypulleys or made to wrap around wheels, softer materials such as cloth,tape, or plastic sheet stock are generally preferred. In bonding theadjacent coils side bonding region(s) and/or bottom bonding region(s)may be employed as described below with reference to FIG. 12.

In some embodiments, a flexible belt brush 100 may be formed from aplurality of flexible strip brush elements with sides bonded to oneanother to form a collective strip brush element. The collective stripbrush element may be wound into a spiral or helix, in a similar manneras the flexible strip brush element illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B toform a flexible belt brush 100. One or both ends of the collective stripbrush element may have sides or edges tapered at an angle relative to acircumferential (lengthwise) and widthwise extent of the collectivestrip brush element. One or both ends of the collective strip brushelement may be tapered such that the width of the collective strip brushelement decreases linearly along the tapered region. In otherembodiments, one or both ends of the collective strip brush element maybe rounded or include a non-linear taper.

In some embodiments, the flexible belt brush 100 is formed such that thebottoms of the bases 152 of the coils cooperate to form a belt drivesurface 130 capable of being driven by a suitable transport mechanism.Moreover, in the flexible belt brush 100 so formed, the free ends 158 ofthe monofilaments 155 of the flexible strip brush elements 150 cooperateto form a bristle end zone 108. For example, if the flexible belt brush100 is employed as a conveyor brush, this bristle end zone 108 mightcollectively form a single conveyor drive face capable of nestlingtherewithin and carrying therealong small objects including, but not tolimited to, nuts, bolts, pills, and/or other such objects to beconveyed. In other embodiments the flexible belt brush 100 may be usedin a plot planting application, for example in a plot plantingapparatus.

In some embodiments, both edge portions 165 of a flexible strip brushelement may be provided with shaped end regions 170. The two edgeportions 165 may have shaped end regions 170 that differ from oneanother, for example, in length or shape. In other embodiments, only oneof the edge portions 165 of a flexible strip brush element may beprovided with a shaped end region 170.

One or both of the shaped end regions 170 may have a length in thecircumferential direction which is approximately equal to the width ofthe flexible strip brush element. Similarly, one or both of the shapedend regions 170 may be cut at a shallower angle so as to increase thelength of the shaped end regions 170 in the circumferential direction upto as much as the full circumference of the endless loop belt brush.

Embodiments of a flexible belt brush 100 formed from a jointless spiralincluding shaped end regions 170 as described above may have base sidesor edges, for example, the first side or edge 175 and the second side oredge 180 indicated in FIG. 9B, which are parallel or substantiallyparallel over a majority or over the entirety of the circumference ofthe flexible belt brush 100.

Returning to FIG. 5, at the flexible strip brush element 150, themonofilaments 155 are attached at one end (the proximal end) to theextruded base 152 to which they have been fused, the monofilaments 155cooperating at their free ends (distal ends) 158 to form a bristle endzone. Depending on the application in question, this bristle end zonemight serve as conveyor drive face capable of nestling therewithin andcarrying therealong small objects including, but not limited to, nuts,bolts, pills, and/or other such objects to be conveyed, might serve ascleaning brush for cleaning parts or surfaces, or might serve as sealingsurface capable of sealing a shuttle canister within a pneumatic tubetransport system, for example. That is, the flexible strip brush element150 shown in FIG. 5 contains a multiplicity of brush bristles ormonofilaments 155 arranged in substantially parallel fashion such thatone end of each monofilament 155 is bonded to a flexible base 152 andthe other end 158 of each monofilament 155 is free.

In one embodiment, the flexible base 152 to which the monofilaments 155are attached is capable of acting as a drive belt. In such anembodiment, one side of the base 152 to acts as support for themonofilaments 155 that are attached thereto, while the other side of thebase 152 serves as a drive belt capable of being driven by pulleys,idlers, or other such transport mechanism drive components. Inoperation, when the belt side of the base 152 in such an embodiment isdriven by an appropriate transport mechanism, the free ends 158 of themonofilaments 155 cooperate to form a bristle end zone.

The flexible strip brush element 150 in such an embodiment might beemployed as a belt brush such as a conveyor brush or cleaning brush. Forexample, to form a conveyor brush, the ends of a linear section of theflexible strip brush element 150 might be joined after the fashion of anendless loop or jointless spiral. This belt-driven conveyor brush couldthen be driven by the pulleys and idlers of a transport mechanism. Asthe conveyor brush is driven in this fashion, the bristle end zonecollectively formed by the free ends (distal ends) 158 of themonofilaments 155 of this conveyor brush might cooperate to capture orgrab and carry therealong small objects including, but not limited to,nuts, bolts, pills, and/or other such objects to be conveyed.

As another example, this flexible strip brush element 150 might beemployed as a seal for sealing a shuttle canister within a pneumatictube transport system for use at a bank drive-up window. To form such ashuttle canister seal, the ends of a linear section of the flexiblestrip brush element 150 might be joined to form a flexible belt brush inthe form of an endless loop or jointless spiral that is then fittedaround and made to adhere to the outside circumference of an end-openingshuttle canister. Alternatively, if the shuttle canister opens inclamshell fashion, a linear section of the flexible strip brush element150 might be wrapped around and made to adhere to the outsidecircumference of the shuttle canister at all locations except for a gapto allow the shuttle canister to open. This flexible belt brush couldthen form a seal between the shuttle canister and the tube walls of thepneumatic tube transport system so that the shuttle canister may bedriven by air pressure and/or vacuum. As the shuttle canister is drivenwithin the pneumatic tube transport system, the bristle end zonecollectively formed by the free ends (distal ends) 158 of themonofilaments 155 of the flexible strip brush element 150 mightcooperate to form a more or less airtight seal while allowing theshuttle canister to move within the pneumatic tube transport system.

Referring to FIG. 6, another aspect of the present invention is aflexible belt brush 100 containing one or more of the flexible stripbrush elements 150 described with reference to FIG. 5.

As shown by FIG. 6, a flexible belt brush 100 suitable for slidablysealing gaps between canister and tube in a pneumatic tube transportsystem or as a flexible belt brush in a conveyor or cleaningapplication, for example, contains a plurality (here, three) flexiblestrip brush elements 150 as described with reference to FIG. 5. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 6, three flexible strip brush elements 150 asshown in FIG. 5 are bonded side-by-side by thermal bonding, glue,chemical bonding, coextrusion, or any other suitable method. In bondingthe flexible strip brush elements 150 in side-by-side fashion, sidebonding region (s) and/or bottom bonding region(s) may be employed asdescribed below with reference to FIG. 12. In some embodiments, theflexible belt brush 100 so formed is such that the bottoms of the bases152 cooperate to form a belt drive surface 130 capable of being drivenby a suitable transport mechanism. As was the case with respect todescription of the flexible strip brush element 150, the flexible beltbrush 100 may take the form of a linear section or may be fashioned intoan endless loop or jointless spiral. If fashioned in the form of alinear section, this might be applied about the circumference of ashuttle canister that opens in clamshell fashion, leaving a gap topermit the canister to open, if used to slidably seal gaps betweencanister and tube in a pneumatic tube transport system, or might be madeto engage in reciprocating motion by the mechanical components of asuitable transport mechanism if used as a conveyor brush, for example.If fashioned in the form of an endless loop or jointless spiral, thismight be fitted over the end of an end-opening shuttle canister if usedto slidably seal gaps between canister and tube in a pneumatic tubetransport system, or might be employed as a flexible belt brush capableof being driven about pulleys and idlers. Moreover, in the flexible beltbrush 100 so formed, the free ends 158 of the monofilaments 155 of theflexible strip brush elements 150 cooperate to form a bristle end zone108. For example, if the flexible belt brush 100 is employed as aconveyor brush, this bristle end zone 108 might collectively form asingle conveyor drive face capable of nestling therewithin and carryingtherealong small objects including, but not limited to, nuts, bolts,pills, and/or other such objects to be conveyed.

Where the flexible belt brush 100 is fashioned in the form of an endlessloop, it should be understood that formation of a joint to mate the twoends of a linear section of the flexible belt brush 100 may be carriedout in the same manner as described above with reference to the flexiblestrip brush element 150 of FIG. 5. An example in which a flexible beltbrush similar to the flexible belt brush 200 described below withreference to FIG. 12 contains three flexible strip brush elements 250has been fashioned in the form of an endless loop through use of a jointto mate the ends of a linear section thereof are shown at FIG. 7. Theexample shown in FIG. 7 depicts a 90-degree butt joint and a 45-degreemiter (scarf) joint, and of course there is no objection to employmentof any other suitable type of joint, such as an overlap joint.

Moreover, it should be understood that, like the flexible strip brushelement 150 described above with reference to FIG. 5, the flexible beltbrush 100 may be fashioned in the form of a jointless spiral, and thatwhere this is done, the manner in which it may be carried out is similarto the description given above with reference to the flexible stripbrush element 150 of FIG. 5. An example in which a single long flexiblestrip brush element 150 has been fashioned in the form of a jointlessspiral by wrapping a linear section similar to that shown in FIG. 5around a cylindrical mandrel in helical fashion is shown at FIGS. 8, 9A,and 9B.

For example, in a first working example, using four flexible strip brushelements 150 that were each approximately 4.5 mm in width and that weremanufactured from a nylon-TPE copolymer base 152 and nylon monofilaments155 of diameter 0.2 mm, a flexible belt brush 100 that was approximately18 mm in width was fabricated by bonding the flexible strip brushelements 150 together in side-by-side fashion by heat-welding to meltand resolidify the bases 152, this then being made into a flexible beltbrush 100 in the form of an endless loop by means of a glued joint, inwhich the ends were cut at a 45 degree angle, the two ends being sewntogether using #21 gauge steel wire prior to application ofcyanoacrylate adhesive as glue so as to form a wire-reinforced joint.The flexible belt brush 100 so formed was approximately 18 mm wide×30 mmhigh×480 mm in diameter. The flexible belt brush 100 of this firstworking example was found to perform satisfactorily for conveyingobjects of 0.25 inch diameter and larger, as well as flat objects suchas a penny, or for cleaning the surface of a metal plate.

Moreover, in a second working example, using seven flexible strip brushelements 150 that were each 4.5 mm in width and that were manufacturedfrom a nylon-TPE copolymer base 152 and nylon monofilaments 155 ofdiameter 0.006 inch, a flexible belt brush 100 of 0.89 inch width×0.28inch height was fabricated by bonding the flexible strip brush elements150 together in side-by-side fashion by heat-welding to melt andresolidify the bases 152, this then being made into a flexible beltbrush 100 in the form of a linear section that was 19 inches in lengthand 0.28 inch in height for employment in a shuttle-type to pneumatictube transport apparatus. The flexible belt brush 100 of this secondworking example was found to perform satisfactorily for sealing ashuttle canister within a pneumatic tube transport apparatus.

FIG. 10 shows a flexible strip brush element 250 in a second embodimentsuch as might be manufactured using a manufacturing method similar tothat described with reference to FIG. 4. The manufacturing method usedto fabricate the flexible strip brush element 250 of the secondembodiment shown in FIG. 10 is similar to the manufacturing method usedto fabricate the flexible strip brush element 150 of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 5, except that the extrusion die employed forextrusion of the flexible strip brush element 250 of the secondembodiment shown in FIG. 10 is shaped so as to cause the base 256 tohave a channel-like, or U-shaped, cross-section. Employment of a base256 having channel-like or U-shaped cross-section may, for example,provide additional structure at the base 256 that holds themonofilaments 255 for easier handling and assembly. Although thechannel-like profile of this base 256 is shown in somewhat exaggeratedfashion in FIG. 10, note as was mentioned above when discussing theprior art that excessive height is not preferred in the channel-likebase 256 from the standpoint of lowering second moment of inertia andimproving flexibility with respect to bending of the flexible stripbrush element 250 in such fashion as to form an endless loop orjointless spiral therefrom. Except for the different shape of the base256, structure and function of the flexible strip brush element 250 ofthe second embodiment shown in FIG. 10 being similar to the structureand function of the flexible strip brush element 150 of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 5, like parts are given like-numbered referencenumerals and description thereof is omitted for brevity.

Conversely, except where otherwise clear from context, the descriptiongiven below with reference to the flexible strip brush element 250 shownin FIGS. 10 and 11A, and with reference to the flexible belt brush 200assembled therefrom shown in FIG. 12, may be understood to apply as wellto the flexible strip brush element 150 shown in FIG. 5 and to theflexible belt brush 100 assembled therefrom shown in FIG. 6. Inparticular, the description of the bristle attachment region 257 shownin FIGS. 10 through 12, of the side-to-side bonding region 220 shown inFIG. 12, and of the belt drive surface 230 shown in FIG. 12, althoughnot shown or described to the same extent during description of theembodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, may nonetheless be understood toapply as well to the embodiments shown in to FIGS. 5 and 6.

Referring to FIG. 11A, this is an end sectional view of the flexiblestrip brush element 250 of the second embodiment shown in perspectiveview in FIG. 10. As shown by FIG. 11A, the flexible strip brush element250 contains a multiplicity of brush bristles or monofilaments 255arranged in substantially parallel fashion such that one end of eachmonofilament 255 is bonded to a flexible channel-like base 256 and theother end of each monofilament 255 is free. In some embodiments, thebase 256 to which the monofilaments 255 are attached is capable ofacting as a drive belt. In some embodiments, the concave side of thechannel-like base 256 acts as support for the monofilaments 255 that areattached thereto, while the bottom of the channel-like base 256 servesas a drive belt capable of being driven by pulleys, idlers, or othersuch transport mechanism drive components. For example, in anapplication in which the flexible strip brush element 250 is employed asa conveyor brush, the belt side of the base 256 is driven by anappropriate transport mechanism and the free ends of the monofilaments255 cooperate to capture or grab and carry therealong small objectsincluding, but not limited to, nuts, bolts, pills, and/or other suchobjects to be conveyed. As mentioned above, especially where theflexible strip brush element 250 is to be formed into an endless loop orjointless spiral, it is preferred that channel height 290 not be toolarge, so as to permit good flexibility. Exemplary dimensions for thechannel-like base 256 might be such that channel height 290 is on theorder of between 2.5 mm and 5 mm or more, and channel width is on theorder of between 2.5 mm and 6 mm or more.

Also visible at FIG. 11A is the bristle attachment region 257. Thebristle attachment region 257, being the region at which themonofilaments 255 are attached to the base 256, is the location at whichmolten monofilament material blended with molten base material, and/orwhere molten base material was made to flow around and fill intersticesbetween monofilaments, during fusion of the monofilaments 255 with theextruded base 256 (taking the case where thermoplastic resin is used asmaterial for extrusion of the base 256, the method by which themonofilaments 255 are fused to the base 256 being substantially asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 4). As such, at this bristleattachment region 257, there is chemical and/or physical interminglingof the monofilament material and the base material. After the moltenthermoplastic material in the bristle attachment region 257 is allowedto cool following extrusion and fusion, this blending and/orintermingling of material at the interface of the monofilaments 255 andthe base 256 permits the monofilaments 255 to to be held firmly to thebase 256 without the need for staples or other such fasteners. Moreover,because there is no need to use staples or other such fasteners,monofilaments 255 may be arranged with uniform density and withoutdiscontinuity in any desired density. Furthermore, manufacturing isgreatly simplified, as there is no need to drill or mold holes, nor toinsert monofilament tufts within such holes, nor to staple or otherwisefasten such monofilament tufts within such holes. Moreover, eliminationof the need to staple monofilament tufts within holes makes it possibleto greatly reduce the thickness in the height direction of the base 256,and notwithstanding that the channel height 290 is shown in somewhatexaggerated fashion in FIG. 11A there is no particular objection toreducing channel height 290 so that the base 256 of the secondembodiment shown in FIG. 11A approaches a configuration resembling thatof the first configuration shown in FIG. 5. For example, in anembodiment in which the flexible strip brush element 250 is to be usedas a conveyor brush, the base 256 need be only as thick as is requiredfor the drive belt surface at the bottom and the bristle attachmentregion 257 at the top. Such a flexible strip brush element 250 willexhibit good flexibility with respect to flexure about an axisperpendicular to the plane of the bristles 255, such as would be desiredwere the flexible strip brush element 250 to be fashioned in an endlessloop or jointless spiral for driving by pulleys and idlers.

As was the case with the flexible strip brush element 150 shown in FIG.5, the flexible strip brush element 250 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A mayemployed as a flexible belt brush 200 in the form of a linear section ormay be fashioned into an endless loop or jointless spiral. If fashionedin the form of a linear section, this might be applied about thecircumference of a shuttle canister that opens in clamshell fashion,leaving a gap to permit the canister to open, if used to slidably sealgaps between canister and tube in a pneumatic tube transport system, ormight be made to engage in reciprocating motion by the mechanicalcomponents of a suitable transport mechanism if used as a conveyor brushor cleaning brush, for example. If fashioned in the form of an endlessloop or jointless spiral, this might be fitted over the end of anend-opening shuttle canister if used to slidably seal gaps betweencanister and tube in a pneumatic tube transport system, or might beemployed as a flexible belt brush capable of being driven about pulleysand idlers. Furthermore, a plurality of flexible strip brush elements250 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A may be combined in side-by-side fashionto form a flexible belt brush 200 of any desired width.

FIG. 11B illustrates an alternative embodiment of an end sectional viewof the to flexible strip brush element 250 of the second embodimentshown in perspective view in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11B, the base 256is extended along the sides of the brush element 250 both above andbelow the plane of the proximal ends of the bristles 255. The extensionbelow the plane of the proximal ends of the bristles 255 forms a rib258.

The manufacturing method used to fabricate the flexible strip brushelement 250 of the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 11B is similarto the manufacturing method used to fabricate the flexible strip brushelement 150 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, except that theextrusion die employed for extrusion of the flexible strip brush element250 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is shaped so as to causethe base 256 to have a channel-like, or H-shaped, cross-section.Employment of a base 256 having channel-like or H-shaped cross-sectionmay, for example, provide additional structure at the base 256 thatholds the monofilaments 255 for easier handling and assembly. The ribs258 may also improve the welding process for the backside of the beltwhen bonding multiple strip brush elements 250 together, as describedbelow. Exemplary dimensions for the ribs 258 might be such that ribheight is up to 2 mm or more, and having a preferred rib height ofapproximately 0.5 mm Except for the different shape of the base 256,structure and function of the flexible strip brush element 250 of thealternative embodiment shown in FIG. 11B being similar to the structureand function of the flexible strip brush element 150 of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 5, like parts are given like-numbered referencenumerals and description thereof is omitted for brevity.

It should be noted that while FIG. 11B shows ribs 258 deployed inconjunction with a channel-like base 256 where the channel height 290(FIG. 11A) is larger than the height of the ribs 258, in otherembodiments (not shown) the channel height 290 may be equal or smallerthan the height of the ribs 258. In other embodiments (not shown) theribs 258 may be present in the absence of a channel in base 256.

FIG. 12 illustrates an end sectional view of a flexible belt brush 200suitable for slidably sealing gaps between canister and tube in apneumatic tube transport system or as a flexible belt brush in aconveyor or cleaning application, for example. The flexible belt brush200 shown in FIG. 12 contains a plurality (here, three) of flexiblestrip brush elements 250 as described with reference to FIGS. 10 and11A. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, three flexible strip brushelements 250 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A are bonded side-by-side bythermal bonding, glue, chemical bonding, coextrusion, lamination, or anyother suitable to method. In bonding the flexible strip brush elements250 in side-by-side fashion, side bonding region(s) 220 and/or bottombonding region(s) 230 may be employed as described below. In someembodiments, the flexible belt brush 200 so formed is such that thebottoms of the bases 256 cooperate to form a belt drive surface capableof being driven by a suitable transport mechanism. As with the flexiblebelt brush 100 described with reference to FIG. 6, the flexible beltbrush 200 shown in FIG. 12 may take the form of a linear section or maybe fashioned into an endless loop or jointless spiral. If fashioned inthe form of a linear section, this might be applied about thecircumference of a shuttle canister that opens in clamshell fashion,leaving a gap to permit the canister to open, if used to slidably sealgaps between canister and tube in a pneumatic tube transport system, ormight be made to engage in reciprocating motion by the mechanicalcomponents of a suitable transport mechanism if used as a conveyorbrush, for example. If fashioned in the form of an endless loop orjointless spiral, this might be fitted over the end of an end-openingshuttle canister if used to slidably seal gaps between canister and tubein a pneumatic tube transport system, or might be employed as a flexiblebelt brush capable of being driven about pulleys and idlers. Moreover,in the flexible belt brush 200 so formed, the free ends of themonofilaments 255 of the flexible strip brush elements 250 cooperate toform a bristle end zone. For example, if the flexible belt brush 200 isemployed as a conveyor brush, this bristle end zone might collectivelyform a single conveyor drive face capable of nestling therewithin andcarrying therealong small objects including, but not limited to, nuts,bolts, pills, and/or other such objects to be conveyed.

In forming the flexible belt brush 200 shown in FIG. 12 from threeflexible strip brush elements 250 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A, adjacentflexible strip brush elements 250 may, for example, be bonded togetherby means of side bonding regions 220. These side bonding regions 220 maybe formed using heat, glue, solvent, coextrusion, or any other suitablemethod. In some embodiments, presence of these side bonding regions 220alone is sufficient to mechanically join adjacent flexible strip brushelements 250. That is, although a separate bottom bonding region 230 isshown in FIG. 12, and an example is described below in which such aseparate bottom bonding region 230 is formed through coextrusion,lamination, melting and reforming, or dissolving and resolidifying, ofthe area through application of glue, heat, solvent, or other suitablemethod, in some embodiments there is no need for such a separate bottombonding region 230. That is, where there is no need for such a separateto bottom bonding region 230, this may be interpreted to mean that thethickness 295 of the bottom bonding region 230 is zero. For example, inan application in which the flexible belt brush 200 is employed as abelt brush in a conveyor or similar transport application, a thickness295 of zero at the bottom bonding region 230 should be interpreted tomean that the bottoms of the bases 256 of the flexible strip brushelements 250 themselves cooperate to form a belt drive surface capableof being driven about pulleys and idlers. Alternatively or in additionto one or more side bonding regions 220, adjacent flexible strip brushelements 250 may be bonded together by means of a bottom bonding region230. This bottom bonding region 230 may be formed using heat, glue,solvent, coextrusion, lamination, or any other suitable method. In someembodiments, presence of this bottom bonding region 230 alone issufficient to mechanically join adjacent flexible strip brush elements250. That is, although side bonding regions 220 are shown in FIG. 12,and an example is described above in which such side bonding regions 220are formed through coextrusion, lamination, melting and reforming,dissolving and resolidifying, and/or through application of glue, heat,solvent, or other suitable method, in some embodiments there is no needfor such side bonding regions 220, the presence of the bottom bondingregion 230 alone being sufficient to hold the flexible strip brushelements 250 together in side-by-side fashion. Moreover, in anapplication in which the flexible belt brush 200 is employed as a beltbrush in a conveyor or similar transport application, the bottom surfaceof the bottom bonding region 230 may serve as a belt drive surfacecapable of being driven about pulleys and idlers.

For example, where heat is employed to form a bottom bonding region 230,the zone indicated with reference numeral 230 at FIG. 12 might be a zonein which application of heat caused the bottoms of the bases 256 to melttogether, this then being made to resolidify in this configuration uponcooling. In some embodiments, the side bonding regions 220 may beabsent, this bottom bonding region 230 alone being sufficient to bondflexible strip brush elements 250 together in side-by-side fashion, andin some embodiments the zone indicated with reference numeral 220 atFIG. 12 might be a zone in which hot base material, this base materialhaving melted due to application of heat in forming the bottom bondingregion 230, flows into the spaces between adjacent flexible strip brushelements 250, and the side bonding regions 220 so formed are also madeto resolidify in this configuration upon cooling. That is, in someembodiments in which there is substantially only a bottom bonding region230, there is nevertheless the possibility that there may be somewicking or unintended flow to of excess or residual material from thebottom bonding region into the space between channel sides, but withoutsignificant mechanical effect or contribution to bonding strengthbetween adjacent strip brush elements 250. Furthermore, in someembodiments, reference numeral 230 at FIG. 12 might be interpreted toindicate a separate carrier strip of suitable material (e.g., flexiblethermoplastic resin such as nylon or polypropylene) that is bonded tothe bottoms of the bases 256 of the flexible strip brush element 250 bymeans of heat, glue, solvent, coextrusion, lamination, or any othersuitable method to form the bottom bonding region 230.

Where the strip brush elements 250 forming the flexible belt brush 200shown in FIG. 12 are configured as per the alternative embodiment shownin FIG. 11B where the base 256 includes ribs 258, the ribs 258 mayfacilitate the formation of the bottom bonding region 230 (FIG. 12). Insuch an alternative embodiment, heat may be applied to ribs 258, causingthe material of ribs 258 to melt and flow onto the back of the brushbeside ribs 258, thereby forming the bottom bonding region 230. In suchan alternative embodiment, the melted rib material may entirely form thebottom bonding region 230, or the bottom bonding region 230 may befurther supplemented with additional material. Such additional materialmay be added by melting the material so it flows and solidifies overbottom bonding region 230, or may instead be laminated over the materialof melted ribs 258. When ribs 258 are heated and melted, the height ofribs 258 may be somewhat reduced, forming a smaller, residual rib, orthe ribs 258 may be entirely reduced so that the ribs 258 are removedand the rib material is entirely reformed into the bottom bonding region230.

Moreover, although in the foregoing description side bonding regions 220were described as plural and a bottom bonding region 230 was describedas singular, there is no particular objection to combining use of sidebonding region(s) 220 and/or bottom bonding region(s) 230 in any desiredcombination. For example, in an embodiment in which a flexible beltbrush is fabricated from, for example, three flexible strip brushelements, a side bonding region 220 might be used to bond one pair ofadjacent strip brush elements while a bottom bonding region 230 might beused to bond the other pair of adjacent strip brush elements. As anotherexample, in an embodiment in which a flexible belt brush is fabricatedfrom, for example, four flexible strip brush elements, a side bondingregion 220 might be used to bond the central pair of adjacent stripbrush elements while bottom bonding regions 230 might respectively beused to bond the pairs of adjacent strip brush elements to either sideof the central pair of adjacent strip brush elements, or vice-versa.

In the foregoing description, application of heat is employed to formside bonding region(s) 220 and/or bottom bonding region(s) 230 forholding flexible strip brush elements 250 together in side-by-sidefashion to form a flexible belt brush 200 of width greater than thewidth of a single flexible strip brush element 250. However, glue,solvent, coextrusion, or any other suitable method may be employed toform side bonding region(s) 220 and/or bottom bonding region(s) 230 forjoining flexible strip brush elements 250 in side-by-side fashion. Theprocedure being similar regardless of the method employed for formingside bonding region(s) 220 and/or bottom bonding region(s) 230, anddescription having been given in exemplary fashion for use of heat toform side bonding region(s) 220 and/or bottom bonding region(s) 230,detailed description of other methods is omitted for brevity.

FIG. 13 shows a method for manufacturing a flexible belt brush 200similar to that shown in FIG. 12 from three flexible strip brushelements 250 similar to the flexible strip brush element 250 shown inFIGS. 10, 11A and 11B. In accordance with the method depicted in FIG.13, heat is employed to reflow, or melt and resolidify, the material ofthe bases 256 of the strip brush elements 250 so as to form a bottombonding region 230. During formation of the bottom bonding region 230,application of heat causes the bottoms of the bases 256 to melttogether, the molten bases then being made to resolidify in a fusedconfiguration upon cooling. In the embodiment shown, there issubstantially only a bottom bonding region 230 and no side bondingregion 220, except to the extent that wicking or capillary-like flow ofexcess or residual molten material from the bases or bottom bondingregion 230 flows into the spaces between channel sides. However, in theembodiment shown, presence of such insignificant amount of materialbetween channel sides would not be understood to qualify as a sidebonding region 220 unless it were to have significant mechanical effector contribution to bonding strength between adjacent strip brushelements 250. In FIG. 13, it should be noted that a shoe-like tool 1200that has been coated with Teflon® (registered trademark of E.I. du Pontde Nemours and Company, of Delaware USA) nonstick material or other suchnonstick material (e.g., any of the substances commonly employed, forexample, as mold release agents may alternatively or in addition beused) is used in combination with a hot air gun (not shown) or othersuitable source of heat to reflow the base material in controlledfashion as the heated nonstick tool is pressed against the bottomsurfaces of the bases with appropriate pressure while the tool 1200 isdragged therealong at a suitable relative speed as will cause to reflowto an appropriate depth. At this time, use of such a nonstick tool 1200facilitates manipulation of the otherwise unwieldy molten material,since the flexible materials preferably employed as base material tendto become quite soft and gooey when heated.

Where the strip brush elements 250 being bonded are of the alternativeembodiment shown in FIG. 11B where the base 256 includes ribs 258, theribs 258 may further facilitate and strengthen the formation of thebottom bonding region 230. When two or more brush elements 250 areplaced side by side, the shoe-like tool 1200 of FIG. 13 is applied tothe bottom region and the shoe-like tool will initially come in contactwith ribs 258, causing the ribs 258 to melt and flow onto the back ofthe brush. The material from the melted ribs 258 is added to the back ofthe brush, thereby forming the bottom bonding region 230 and adding tothe overall thickness of the brush and thus strengthening the belt.Further, the thin width of the ribs 258 allows the material of ribs 258to melt and begin to flow more quickly upon application of heat from theshoe-like tool than the material of an embodiment without ribs 258, suchas the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A.

Where a strip brush element such as that shown in FIG. 5 or FIGS. 10,11A and 11B, or a strip brush such as that shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 12,is wrapped around a mandrel in helical fashion to form a jointlessspiral, adjacent coils of the helical spiral may be bonded inside-by-side fashion in substantially the same manner as has beendescribed above for bonding of adjacent strips. For example,side-by-side bonding may in such case be carried out through use of sidebonding region(s) and/or bottom bonding region(s). As this has beendescribed in detail in connection with bonding of adjacent strips,description in connection with bonding of adjacent coils is omitted forbrevity.

FIGS. 14 through 16 show various exemplary belt brush configurationsemphasizing the flexibility and versatility of the flexible belt brushesthat may be manufactured in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention, the flexible belt brush at FIG. 14 being shown in aconfiguration intended to emphasize the superior flexibility thereofwith respect to flexure about an axis perpendicular to the plane of thebristles, and the flexible belt brushes at FIGS. 15 and 16 being shownin configurations intended to emphasize the superior flexibility thereofwith respect to flexure as well as torsion.

A flexible belt brush containing one or more flexible strip brushelements as described above overcomes one or more inadequacies of theprior art and/or has other benefits and advantages. It should beemphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present inventionare merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for aclear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variationsand modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of theinvention without departing substantially from the spirit and principlesof the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended tobe included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the presentinvention and protected by the following claims.

Those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that the variousparameters and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplaryand that actual parameters and configurations will depend upon thespecific application for which the flexible strip brush element andmethods of the present disclosure are used. Those skilled in the artwill recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routineexperimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments describedherein. The present apparatus and methods are directed to eachindividual feature or method described herein. In addition, anycombination of two or more such features, apparatus or methods, if suchfeatures, apparatus or methods are not mutually inconsistent, isincluded within the scope of the present disclosure.

Further, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, andimprovements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure. For example, an existing facility may be modified toutilize or incorporate any one or more aspects of the disclosure. Thus,in some cases, the apparatus and methods may involve connecting orconfiguring an existing facility to comprise a flexible strip brushelement as presently disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing descriptionand drawings are by way of example only. Further, the depictions in thedrawings do not limit the disclosures to the particularly illustratedrepresentations.

As used herein, the term “plurality” refers to two or more items orcomponents. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” and “involving,” whether in the written description or theclaims and the like, are open-ended terms, i.e., to mean “including butnot limited to.” Thus, the use of such terms is meant to encompass theitems listed thereafter, and equivalents thereof, as well as additionalitems. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of,” are closed or semi-closed to transitional phrases,respectively, with respect to the claims Use of ordinal terms such as“first,” “second,” “third,” and the like in the claims to modify a claimelement does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order ofone claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of amethod are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish oneclaim element having a certain name from another element having a samename (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements

1. A flexible belt brush comprising: a flexible strip brush elementincluding a base having a width and a bristle attachment region, theflexible strip brush element terminating at an end tapered at an anglerelative to the width of the flexible strip brush element, the flexiblestrip brush element being wound into a plurality of adjacent bondedcoils; and a plurality of monofilaments secured to the bristleattachment region.
 2. The flexible belt brush of claim 1, wherein eachof the plurality of adjacent bonded coils includes a sidewall bonded toa sidewall of another of the plurality of adjacent bonded coils.
 3. Theflexible belt brush of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality ofmonofilaments includes a proximal end secured to the bristle attachmentregion and a distal end included in a bristle end zone.
 4. The flexiblebelt brush of claim 1, wherein the flexible belt brush has acircumference, a first side, and a second side separated from the firstside by a width of the flexible belt brush and substantially parallel tothe first side about the circumference of the flexible belt brush. 5.The flexible belt brush of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality ofadjacent bonded coils includes a bottom region bonded to a bottom regionof another of the plurality of adjacent bonded coils.
 6. The flexiblebelt brush of claim 5, wherein the bottom region comprises a laminatedcarrier strip.
 7. The flexible belt brush of claim 1, wherein the end istapered over a length approximately equal to the width of the base. 8.The flexible belt brush of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality offlexible strip brush elements, each including: a base having a bristleattachment region defined in a top of the base; a plurality ofmonofilaments, each having a proximal end and a distal end; the proximalends of each of the plurality of monofilaments being secured to thebristle attachment region; and the distal ends of each of the pluralityof monofilaments collectively to forming a bristle end zone; theplurality of flexible strip brush elements bonded and forming acollective strip brush element terminating at an end tapered at an anglerelative to a width of the collective strip brush element.
 9. Theflexible belt brush of claim 1, wherein the flexible belt brush has acircumference, and the end of the collective strip brush element istapered over a length approximately equal to the circumference of theflexible belt brush.
 10. The flexible belt brush of claim 1, wherein theplurality of monofilaments form a bristle end zone configured as apneumatic seal.
 11. A method for manufacturing a flexible strip brush,the method comprising: providing a flexible strip brush elementincluding: a base having a width, a bristle attachment region, and anend tapered at an angle relative to the width of the base; and aplurality of monofilaments secured to the bristle attachment region; andwrapping the flexible strip brush element around a mandrel, forming aplurality of adjacent coils.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising bonding adjacent pairs of the plurality of adjacent coils.13. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible strip brush includes acircumference, a first side, and a second side separated from the firstside by a width of the flexible strip brush, and the method furthercomprises forming the first side substantially parallel to the secondside about the circumference of the flexible belt brush.
 14. The methodof claim 12, wherein bonding the adjacent pairs of the plurality ofadjacent coils comprises bonding a side of each of the adjacent pairs ofthe plurality of adjacent coils to a side of another of the plurality ofadjacent coils.
 15. A system comprising: a transport mechanism includinga wheel; and a flexible belt brush disposed on the wheel, the flexiblebelt brush including: a flexible strip brush element including a basehaving a width and a bristle attachment region, the flexible strip brushelement terminating at an end tapered at an angle relative to the widthof the flexible strip brush element, the flexible strip brush elementbeing wound into a plurality of adjacent bonded coils; and a pluralityof monofilaments secured to the bristle attachment region.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the flexible belt brush forms a jointlessspiral.
 17. The system of claim 16, comprising a conveyor.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein the plurality of monofilaments form abristle end zone configured as a drive face for the transport ofobjects.
 19. The system of claim 16, comprising a cleaning apparatus.20. The system of claim 19, comprising a plot planting apparatus.